zero discharge treatment Applications

Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) describes a process that completely eliminates liquid discharge from a system. The goal of any well-designed ZLD system is to minimize the volume of wastewater that requires treatment, process wastewater in an economically feasible manner, while also producing a clean stream suitable for reuse elsewhere in the facility. Interest in ZLD technology has grown in the industrial manufacturing sector over the past decade. Companies may begin to explore ZLD because of ever tightening wastewater disposal regulations, company mandated green initiatives, public perception of industrial impact on the environment, or concern over the quality and quantity of the water supply.

The process of electricity generation from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas is water-intensive. Between 40-50% of all water abstracted and used in developed countries is used in the generation of electricity. Thus, a reliable, abundant and predictable source of raw water supply to a power plant is a critical factor in site selection. Water supplies are required to provide various process waters for the following essential main purposes such as make-up water, cooling water for steam turbine condensers, and auxiliary plant cooling water.

The primary application of modern water treatment technology is to maintain the integrity and performance of the power plant. Critical plant applications have water purity or conditioning requirements that must be adhered to for safe, reliable and efficient power generation.

Experience has shown that integration of water technology treatments with power plant design can be very important in reducing operational problems and component failures

At power plant worldwide there are increasing limitations on water availability and environmental restrictions on discharges. This is expected to promote measures for water conservation and to have an increasing influence on water treatment decisions. At power plant, the recycling of internal wastewater streams can extend from the recovery of individual high-quality waste streams, which can be reused either directly or after only limited treatment, through to the development of fully integrated water/wastewater treatment systems for zero liquid discharge. However, the application of reuse schemes requires site-specific assessment, as not all waters may be viable options for recovery.

A number of treatment products are often added to prevent corrosion, scaling and fouling. Coating of sensors and other effects of these products must be taken into account when selecting analyzers. Discharge monitoring needs special attention because zero measurements must be reliable over time with little maintenance.

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